Having finished my baseball themed thread, I had planned on continuing my GRS journey in my next post. But a story caught my eye. It was a follow up commentary to the recent Pew Research Center study and analysis on U.S. attitudes towards transgender. It confirmed the basis for my blog and the name I gave it. By being a transgender Christian, I belong to two groups that are not only nearly mutually exclusive, they are generally mutually uncomfortable with each other.

In connection with this article by Samantha Allen which appeared in the Daily Beast on 11/30/17, someone did a Google search for the following two phrases: “Evangelical transgender man” and “Evangelical transgender woman”. According to the article, the first phrase turned up one person (who was interviewed for the article). The second phrase turned up no one.

Having defined myself for over 30 years as a born-again Christian and having gone public since 2012 as a transgender woman, I was aware that there weren’t many of us out there. But I neglected to identify myself as an evangelical anywhere on my blog. Before I rushed out to correct this defect, I decided I had better make sure the meaning hadn’t changed since I last checked.

I found a few variations on the meaning. I decided to go with the definitions provided on the website of the National Association of Evangelicals. (I also checked them out to make sure they were a representative organization. Since my current denomination and the conference to which my previous church belonged are both members, I am confident in their validity as an organization well-equipped to define the term.)

First what is evangelicalism? The NAE website lists four primary characteristics:

Conversionism: the belief that lives need to be transformed through a “born-again” experience and a lifelong process of following Jesus

Activism: the expression and demonstration of the gospel in missionary and social reform efforts

Biblicism: a high regard for and obedience to the Bible as the ultimate authority

Crucicentrism: a stress on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross as making possible the redemption of humanity

Noting that evangelical individuals are often researched, and acknowledging that the researchers use a variety of criterion to identify evangelical subjects for their studies, NAE and LifeWay Research developed a method that they urge researchers to use to identify evangelical individuals. According to this method, an evangelical must strongly agree to the following four statements:

The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe.

It is very important for me personally to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin.

Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation.

And my answer to all four is that I strongly agree with each and every one of them.

For a few years now, I have identified myself in the following manner:

I am a Christian first. That is my eternal spiritual identity.

I am female second. That is my innate gender identity.

Somewhere on the list, I am transgender. That is my anatomical reality.

So I hereby step into the void that was claimed to exist by Daily Beast. I, Lois Simmons, am a born-again Christian Evangelical transgender woman.

Note that I live in New York, the third least evangelical state in the U.S. According to the Association of Religious Data Archives, my county is only 5.5% evangelical, which is nearly half the percentage in the state, So I am well aware of what it is like to be a religious minority and a gender minority.

As if life wasn’t interesting enough already. While I have received a measure of acceptance and support within both groups and hopefully have also educated those in one of the groups about the other group, I have also detected and experienced measures of prejudice within both groups. While it doesn’t surprise me, it does sadden me.

There was a time when it might have surprised me. First of all until recently, transgender was barely a blip on the Christian radar. Until we started receiving more news exposure, Christians’ lack of familiarity with transgender individuals could be a plus if the issue was addressed in a positive way, with a sound Christian theological foundation. Furthermore, Christians and transgender individuals are two of the most persecuted groups in the world. One would think that there would be a natural affinity between groups that share significant persecution experience.

Sadly, over the years I have learned that this is not so. And it isn’t limited to Christians and transgender individuals. I have seen or heard of too many members of one persecuted group attack another persecuted group as part of their claim that they have suffered far greater persecution and the other group doesn’t have a valid claim. A current example is some black leaders who claim that LGBT+ organizations have hijacked the Civil Rights movement. And I have seen or heard too many members of one marginalized group mock or denigrate members of another marginalized group. It is not just those with privilege who use slurs and hate speech.

Persecution of Christians

Based on statistics that have been kept on the persecution of Christians for the past 25 years, in 2014-16, this persecution has reached record numbers each year with 2016 being the worst year yet. Millions of Christians face interrogation, arrest, torture, and/or death because of their religious convictions and cultural/ethnic identification. While about 30 percent of the world’s population identifies as Christian, 80 percent of all acts of religious discrimination are directed at Christians. Christians currently face persecution in more than 60 countries. Between 2007 and 2014, Christians were targeted for harassment in more countries than any other religious group. Evangelical and Pentecostal Christians are the most likely Christians to be persecuted. Terrorist attacks against Christians escalated over 300 percent between 2003 and 2010. It is estimated that 7100 Christians were martyred because of their religion in 2015, an increase of over 300 percent compared to 2123 martyred in 2013. Christian response to persecution is almost always non-violent, demonstrating faith and forgiveness. (Sources: International Society for Human Rights, U.S. State Department, Open Doors USA, Pew Research and Under Caesar’s Sword [at the University of Notre Dame in conjunction with the Religious Freedom Institute and Georgetown University])

It is not just adults who face this persecution. It is children, too: at school, at play, on the street … anywhere.

The extent of persecution of Christians may come as a surprise to some readers of this post. According to these sources, both the mainstream media and human rights organizations give little attention to Christian persecution. From 2008 to 2011, according to research done at Georgetown, Human Rights Watch had religious persecution as the focus of only 8 out of 323 published reports (about 2.5%), and less than half of those focused on persecution of Christians.

In the part of the world generally defined as “The West” (North America, South America, and Western and Central Europe), significant religious persecution was found to occur in only three countries: Cuba, Colombia and Mexico. Even so, Pew Research reports that governmental restrictions on religion increased in 37 out of 43 European countries plus the United States and Canada from 2007 to 2013. During the same time period, social hostilities towards religion increased in 38 of the 43 European countries. As someone who just celebrated her 65th birthday, I can testify that both of these categories have negatively impacted Christians’ religious freedom in the United States during my lifetime.

One of the ways Christians are persecuted in the world is that they are captured and enslaved. Both men and women are subjected to forced labor. Young girls and women are often forced into religious conversion and then a marriage to one of their captors.

I have shared Josh Groban’s version before, but it is appropriate for me to do so again. Not only is it the right time of year, but the words of the second verse cry out to me.

While statistics of persecution of Christians can vary because not everyone defines Christian in the same way, international statistics on persecution of transgender persons are even more difficult to come by. Many countries do not report crimes against transgender people at all, either denying the existence of transgender people in their country, or because it is not a crime to attack someone who is transgender in that country, or both. Some countries simply don’t consider it important to report on such matters. Others frequently misgender transgender people, using the gender assigned at birth rather than the personal gender identity of the person.

Even so, in countries where the statistics are more reliable, the trend is that violence against transgender people is increasing. While some of this may be related to more accurate reporting, greater visibility of and backlash against transgender people also may be playing a role. In the United States, a record number 23 violent deaths against transgender people occurred in 2016. With four weeks remaining in 2017, that number was topped as 27 violent transgender deaths have been recorded so far this year. Because some victims are misgendered in the initial reports, that number may rise even if there are no more murders before the end of the year. And with violent deaths occurring at a rate of more than one every two weeks, there is no guarantee that there won’t be more murders before the end of the year. The Christmas season of love and light provides no special protection for transgender people.

The vast preponderance of the 27 who were killed was trans women of color. And again, while there are differences in deciding which cases are included and which cases are not, the trends and the identity of those who are most vulnerable are both unmistakable. The annual murder rate for Americans age 15 to 34 is about one in 12,000. For black trans women in the same age group, it is one in 2,600.

Gwendolyn Ann Smith

Another reason that the statistics may vary from website to website is that there are some cases that are in a gray area as far as whether it is a transgender related murder. For example, a transgender person may be killed by violent means but it wasn’t because the person was transgender. Gwendolyn Ann Smith, the founder of Transgender Day of Remembrance, points out that one of the 27 transgender victims of violence was killed as a result of an argument with a trans woman friend. And there have also been cases where the victim did not identify as transgender, but it is likely that the perpetrator of the murder assumed that they were or might be transgender and that was part of the basis for the violence.

Even so at the root of the matter, the trend is getting worse. And murder isn’t the only way that transgender people are persecuted. According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, a 2015 survey of U.S. transgender people revealed that 55% of those who sought coverage for transition-related surgery in the previous year were denied. 77% of those taking the survey also reported that they were mistreated in some way when they were students during grades K-12.

I am one of the fortunate ones who was not negatively impacted in either of those areas. But I did encounter discrimination from a person who at one time had been employed by my insurance carrier when it came to negotiating a fair market price for pre-GRS hair removal. And I am about to contact a transgender-supportive state legislator’s office to look into why another reimbursement request related to my surgery has gone into a black hole: no approval, no denial and no explanation has been put forward.

The persecution of transgender people doesn’t just occur in dark alleys and private places. It also has been occurring in the halls of government. Although none of these bills have passed, sixteen states considered legislation to curtail the right of transgender people to use the public bathroom that corresponds with their personal gender identity, and six states have considered legislation to invalidate local anti-discrimination protections. There have also been three actions taken by the Federal Government in 2017 to roll back recent gains in transgender equality: rescinding protection guidelines for transgender students, the effort to bar transgender troops, and the Justice Department decision to stop applying workplace discrimination protections to transgender people.

The language here is very important. Note that I have deliberately used the phrase “transgender people”. While we have a transgender identity, first and foremost, we are people. Some of us have made significant positive contributions to our society, whether before our transition, or after, or both. Many more hold down steady jobs in a variety of industries and professions, pay our taxes, are good neighbors in our communities and play an important role in our families, worship in accordance with our religious or spiritual beliefs, and help provide the goods and services that meet the needs, wants and desires of our fellow Americans.

Note also that I talk about “transgender equality”, not “transgender rights”. We do not seek special rights above and beyond what our cisgender neighbors enjoy. We want the right to apply for and hold a job, to find housing, to receive public accommodations without being discriminated against. We want the right to feel safe in our homes, on the streets, and yes in bathrooms (where we are vulnerable, not perpetrators). To summarize, we want our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness the same as any other American covered under the Constitution of the United States.

The trend for murders of transgender people around the world is also increasing compared to the previous year. Based on statistics gathered by transrespect.org in preparation for TDOR 2017, there was an increase from 295 to 325 in the number of murders compared to the similar time period for the previous year. Brazil by far continues to produce the most reported murders, with 171 for the 2016-17 time period, followed by Mexico (56) and the United States (25). Since the statistics were first kept, there were 2,609 reported murders from January 1, 2008 to September 30, 2017.

There are many ways in which transgender victims of murder and other violent crimes are dehumanized as part of the systemic persecution. One is that the names and/or ages of the victims are not reported. Often, the victim is identified by birth name and gender in the official reports rather than their chosen name and personal gender identity. In many countries around the world, including Brazil and Thailand, it is illegal to change your name.

And then there is the situation where many countries do not report these crimes at all, or do not consider them to be crimes. Here is a salient quote from the transrespect.org website: “Trans and gender-diverse people around the world are victims of horrifying hate violence, including extortion, physical and sexual assaults, and murder, which often go unreported. In most countries, data on violence against trans and gender-diverse people are not systematically produced and it is impossible to estimate the actual number of cases.” Furthermore, it is suspected that there is vast underreporting of murders of transgender people from most Muslim countries, Russia and China, to name the largest and most flagrant instances.

On the other side of the reporting coin is Brazil. The situation in Brazil is similar to that in the United States. There are areas of the country, such as Rio de Janeiro, where there is a very visible and accepted transgender community. But there are other areas of the country, such as Sao Paulo (less than 200 air miles away), where much of the murder and other violent crimes against transgender people occur. Brazil has a little less than 2/3 the population of the United States, but nearly seven times as many murders of transgender people. For all citizens, Brazil’s murder rate is 4½ times as high as the United States, so that explains some, but not all of the discrepancy. Differences in the religious makeup of the population may also explain some of the discrepancy.

Comparing the persecution of the two groups, you may have noticed something. As a member of both groups, I am certainly aware of it. As much as a significant number of Christians feel antipathy toward transgender people and a significant number of transgender people feel antipathy toward Christians, both face a significant amount of their persecution by the same outside groups.

It is not uncommon for the enemy of my enemy to become my friend as a way for group alliances to be formed. But the groups have to sense that they have enough in common and have to reduce if not eliminate any sniping they are doing at each other. And that brings me back to one of the purposes of my blog. I have found a way to reconcile these two parts of my identity that many would claim to be diametrically opposed. If I can do it within me and not abandon one part or the other, then theoretically speaking it is doable in society. But both groups need to reach a place where they would prefer making allies instead of looking for gotchas and ways of putting the other group down. And that usually starts with one side making the first peace overture and the other side responding in kind. That might not be easy in view of the past history and lack of a centralized leadership for either group.

But here is where my Christian background comes to the fore. All things are possible with God. It doesn’t mean that it will happen, and I confess that at times it feels like I am shoveling sand against the tide. But it can happen. So for now, I stay at the task.

When I went to college, I had hopes of being a civil engineer/urban planner/transportation engineer. Maybe I can still be a bridge.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. – Philippians 4:6

Many Christians in the U.S. today are preoccupied with fixing: fixing the country; fixing the culture; fixing individuals who identify in various ways. Is this what the Bible calls for? And is this a worldwide phenomenon for Christians?

To some extent this is a phenomenon pretty much found in the United States alone. Behind this preoccupation is the belief that the United States was founded as a Christian nation based on Christian values, and that if the United States abandons those values, the nation will experience a significant decline from its greatness. Those at the forefront of this movement will point to evidence that in some ways the United States is already experiencing the beginnings of decline including a corresponding moral decline, and that the evidence parallels both the growing trend to remove God (and especially in the person of Jesus Christ) from the public square.

Regarding their premise, there is a great deal of evidence that the United States was founded on Christian principles and by mostly Christian political leaders. We can see it in everything from numerous laws, to the theological content of the early McGuffey Readers, to the foundation of colleges and hospitals, to oaths of office and swearing in of witnesses on a Bible, to public statements by political leaders at their inauguration in office, their farewell addresses and speeches at times of national crisis.

But were these the only principles upon which the United States was founded? We might accurately say with a touch of humor that the Founding Fathers relied on both Calvin and Hobbes. Indeed, they were influenced by the political philosophies of Thomas Hobbes, Montesquieu, Rene Descartes, John Locke, Cesare Beccaria, David Hume, Adam Smith, Voltaire, Rousseau and Plato: all known for varying degrees of secularism in their major writings and some not Christian at all.

Therefore, while we were seen as being endowed with unalienable rights by a creator God, the United States also greatly expanded the rights of a free people to both participate in the political process of the new republic and to enjoy life and liberty and pursue happiness as they saw fit, provided it did not interfere with those same rights in others. So even though these rights come from God, each citizen could choose how to worship God or not worship at all, or even refuse to believe in the existence of God. Certainly many political leaders of that time would have believed in the superiority of Christianity in the marketplace of ideas and therefore would have had little concern about the United States ever abandoning Christianity to any great degree. One of the ways to ensure that, they believed, was to have a well-educated public in at least the basics, what became known as “the three R’s”. From such was spawned an emphasis on the importance of a public school education for all children who reached a certain age and the establishment of most of the early collegiate institutions of the country. (Ironically, most of these colleges are today liberal bastions and harbors of negativity towards Christianity.)

Regardless of the origins of the political system and the prevailing culture in the United States, we’ve come a long way and seen many changes in the 450+ years since the first permanent colony by Europeans was established in St. Augustine, the 400+ years since settlers from England founded Jamestown and the 240+ years since the First Continental Congress of the American colonies met, leading to the 13 colonies declaring their independence from Great Britain less than two years later. In particular during the past fifty years, Americans have moved away from mainline Protestant denominations in general and from organized religion in particular. Many also continue to nominally identify as Protestants or Catholics, but have turned away from strict adherence to Papal authority in the case of Roman Catholics, and local ecclesiastic authority in the case of Protestants, many of whom retain the identity but are essentially unchurched.

At the same time, there has been growth or at least continued strength in various denominations of Baptists as well as in independent evangelical Christian churches (some in small splinter denominations) which include a number of megachurches. It is from these denominations and churches that the greatest hue and cry comes to see the United States either continue to be or return to be a “Christian nation”. But the question is, how should this occur, through politics or evangelism? And if through evangelism or both ways, what should the evangelical part of the message be?

First and foremost, let me state unequivocally that there is nothing in either the Bible or the Constitution of the United States that prohibits Christians (including clergy) from participating in the political process, whether voting, voicing public opinion, running for office at any level, and serving in either appointed or elective offices in any of the branches of government at any level. And certainly the positions and actions of those who serve in government can and must be influenced by their moral beliefs and convictions as shaped by their spirituality. But it must also be consistent with the laws under which they serve and swear or affirm in some way their fealty to. And if those same moral beliefs and convictions cause them to have sharp and deep disagreement with any of those laws, their attempts to change those laws must also be within the framework of the law. Furthermore, if they can no longer abide by the framework of the law, they must be willing to accept the consequences if found guilty of violating the law in a fair and just hearing or trial.

There is, and should be, far less restriction on what is preached or taught within churches and in general the free exchange of ideas in the public square. This is also part of the “American experiment” in freedom, including protections within the Bill of Rights regarding the free exercise of religion. And that free exercise extends beyond mere worship.

But freedom, to be used wisely, demands a high level of responsibility. In his letter to the Romans and two letters to the church at Corinth, the Apostle Paul writes in detail about the balance between Christian liberty and responsibility. Those responsibilities extend to dealings with both fellow Christians and non-Christians, and include a general requirement to obey the laws of the land unless such laws require (not permit) Christians to disobey God’s commandments: in particular, only those commandments that apply when part of a country that is not a theocracy (which is every country other than Israel and Judah from the time of Moses until the diaspora).

Christians ought to take notice that Paul was writing these words from locations and to Christians in locations that were far harsher in their treatment of Christians than anything close to what Christians in the United States experience today. He was writing these tenets that became part of the Biblical canon of the New Testament at a time when he and eleven of the first twelve post-ascension Apostles would be martyred for being Christian (the twelfth, John, sentenced to exile on the island of Patmos for the final decades of his 94 years on Earth). While persecution of Christians in the world is at historically high levels, there is nothing in the United States that even remotely compares to what was experienced by the early Church until the conversion of Emperor Constantine around 312 AD.

So what choice do Christians face? In terms of Christian witness, it is the choice between legalism and love. Love doesn’t mean anything goes and all Biblical standards are thrown out the window. Agape love means primarily caring about others, Christian or non-Christian, looking to lift up and edify other Christians while drawing non-Christians to the love and light of Christ. It means remembering who we were before we were saved and that we still fall short of the glory of God even after becoming new creatures in Christ. And it means remembering how powerful God’s love is; how strong God’s grace is. 1st Corinthians 13 is one of the best known chapters of the New Testament, and one of the best testimonies to the power of God’s agape love (translated as charity in the KJV). The strength of God’s grace is not as well known.

Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. – 2nd Timothy 2:1

So I choose agape love over legalism. Here are some examples of agape love in action. One is someone famous in the 20th century, one is someone unknown to all but a handful of people, and one is direct from the Bible. There will be a follow up to this post, a part two, that will deal mostly with a fourth example whose example is especially interesting to me in comparison with my life.

Anyone who watched the movie, “Chariots of Fire”, knows the story of Eric Liddell. His refusal to compete in his specialty, the 100 meter dash because the heats for the race in the 1924 Olympics in Paris were held on a Sunday is a key element of the story portrayed in the movie. It certainly smacks of legalism. But while it might have hurt the chances of his country’s team in one event, it was basically something he imposed on himself. He did not require it of any of his teammates. And it was potentially less detrimental to his team than the refusal of Hank Greenberg and Sandy Koufax to play on Yom Kippur during key games in a pennant race or the World Series. As it turned out, Greenberg’s Detroit Tigers would win the American League pennant in 1934, Koufax’s Los Angeles Dodgers would win the World Series in 1965 and Great Britain would win the gold and bronze medals in the 100 meter dash at the 1924 Olympics, the race that Liddell refused to run. As for Liddell, he had time to adjust his training to a longer sprint race: the 400 meters. He won the gold medal in Olympic record time, and also captured a bronze medal in the 200 meter run.

The movie also showed how Liddell, born in China, was from a family of missionaries. What is somewhat less well known is what he did after his Olympic triumph in 1924. In 1925, he returned to China as a missionary, first in Tianjin (Tientsin) and was transferred to a poor rural area of Xiaozhang in 1941. The area was so dangerous due to attacks by the Japanese Army that he sent his pregnant wife and two older daughters to Canada to live with his wife’s parents.

In 1943, Liddell was captured by the Japanese with other members of the mission and was interned in a camp. While others, even many of the missionaries, became selfish and cliquish, Liddell’s exemplary character stood out in the worst of times as he tirelessly helped others, especially the elderly and the children.

Many stories of his selflessness survived Liddell and the camp. The one that stands out to me involves him serving as a referee for the boys team sports games like soccer, rugby and field hockey. Originally, consistent with the stand he took at the 1924 Olympics, he refused to referee any games on Sunday in hopes that the boys would spend their Sundays in church and devotions that day. Instead, the boys formed their own informal matches. Reasonably well-behaved when their hero was refereeing, fights broke out among the boys during the Sunday games. When Liddell learned of this, did he punish the boys? No. Understanding that they were boys, not men, and concerned for their safety, he relaxed his strict position about activities on the Sabbath and began to referee their Sunday contests as well.

From an internment camp in China during World War II, we go to a small town in south-central Pennsylvania. The year was 2016.

Mercersburg is a small town of about 1500 people, but some famous people were born there or have lived there. A private prep school, Mercersburg Academy, has educated seven Rhodes scholars, a Nobel laureate, two Academy Award winners and 54 Olympians (12 who have won gold medals). I met one of those gold medalists. Charles Moore Jr., who won a gold medal in the 1952 Olympics at Helsinki in the 400 meter hurdles and a silver medal running one of the legs on the 4 x 400 meter relay team, went from Mercersburg to my alma mater of Cornell, graduating in 1952 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is also a member of the Quill & Dagger Society, a senior honorary to which I was selected in 1974. But I’ve already talked about an Olympic gold medalist.

Instead, this story primarily involves the public high school which is named for perhaps its most famous native son, President James Buchanan. And it involves a student there who will never receive world recognition. But I believe she will receive many crowns in heaven.

It began in early March with a local Youth Pastor hearing about The Life Book, which contains the complete Gospel of John. Students are using it to witness to their peers. The pastor was so excited by this that he ordered six cases and shared the information about it at their next youth group meeting. The students eagerly began to make plans to distribute the books to their classmates at James Buchanan High School. But the most eager was Violet Clark. One of the most popular students in school, she asked the Youth Pastor for a full case: 100 books.

Did Violet distribute those books of witness to her fellow students by preaching fire and brimstone and telling them what horrible sinners they are? No! With a big smile and joy in her step, she went from student to student, those she knew and those she didn’t, to hand them a book and share Christ’s message of hope with them. It took her a little over six weeks to share the entire case, sharing the last three just before her 18th birthday.

The day after her birthday, Violet was involved in a serious car accident as she left school. Although the school is not one where prayer is normally promoted, students and teachers spontaneously began a prayer vigil on behalf of Violet. But three days later, God chose to call her home.

In the immediate aftermath of Violet’s death, the school community turned to the word of God that was now readily available, not only to deal with her death, but to find out how to receive the kind of joyful life that Violet lived while she was among them. Many students are coming to Christ, not in response to rebuke, but because Violet and some of her fellow youth group members radiated the love of Christ among them.

From modern day Pennsylvania, we go back nearly two thousand years to eastern Macedonia, in particular to the city of Philippi. Here we look upon two men who have gotten themselves into a peck of trouble. We know them today as the Apostle Paul and Silas, but it was Paul who was the leader.

It is Paul who we will focus on. God could not have picked a more interesting and well-suited person to be both his chief missionary of the Gospel and author of a major part of the New Testament through the letters he wrote to the churches he planted, clarifying some of the finer points of Christian theology and contending with heretical positions that were already creeping into the early Church. As the Church spread into Asia Minor, Macedonia, Greece and points west, the early Church membership went from being entirely Jewish to a not always comfortable mixture of Jew and Gentile.

But who better to deal with contentions and heresies than a Jewish scholar who at one time thought that believing that Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God was the very epitome of heresy. Saul of Tarsus, who would later be better known by his Roman name, was perhaps the foremost persecutor of these Jewish followers of Jesus. It fact, it was when he was on the road to Damascus to apprehend these followers of Jesus (the name “Christian” was not even being used yet), that Paul had his direct encounter with Christ that led to his 180º change of position on the legitimacy of belief in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God. It was such a major change that many of the leaders of the early Church were highly suspicious that it was a trick to enable Paul to destroy the Church by cutting off the head. It would be like Ted Cruz suddenly speaking out as the most ardent advocate of pro-LGBT issues.

But Paul was far more than a zealot. He was a scholar who studied at the feet of the best teachers of the Law that Judaism had to offer in his day. In fact, he was a member of the sect whose name is now synonymous with legalism. He was a Pharisee. And while he preached in the synagogue of Damascus immediately after his sight was restored following his Damascus road experience, he also studied the Tanakh long and hard to make sure that his interpretation of the experience was accurate.

Although the Bible tells us that Paul did not preach with eloquence, by adding a solid scriptural foundation to a compelling testimony of a changed life, he was able to win many converts, both Jew and Gentile, to the early church. As such, he often drew the ire of those who had a vested interest in maintaining the status quo, whether Jew or Gentile. In Philippi, it was wealthy Gentiles he angered. They incited a mob that brought Paul and Silas to the magistrates who in turn had them beaten and thrown into prison. At this point, we’ll let the Bible tell the story, starting with Acts 16:23.

And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house. (Acts 16:23-34)

What brought salvation to the jailor and his family? Was it angry rhetoric directed against the jailor, the magistrates and his accusers? Was it the formation of a protest committee, marching around the jail and shouting slogans? Did a commando raid break Paul and Silas out of prison, taking the jailor and his family with them? No! It was because he saw their concern for him. Not only had they been cheerfully praising God in a situation where most would be surly and grumbling, they did not avail themselves of the perfect opportunity to escape. But Paul, who wrote about sacrificing his Christian liberty for a weaker believer, sacrificed his physical liberty for someone who didn’t even believe in Christ. Yet led by the Holy Spirit to demonstrate humble obedience, Paul won this man and his family to Christ.

Even some conservative Christian websites are talking about the need to return to the primary Gospel message for our witness to the world. Although I don’t agree with every idea stated in the article, I am providing a link to one such discourse. And then the next blog post will look at the fourth and final person in the list I promised, a person some of my transgender friends may be surprised that I am including. But his message fits this theme perfectly.

And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. – Colossians 3:14-15

I am haunted by the smiling, confident, beautiful face of Monica Loera. Gunned down on Jan. 22 in Austin, TX, she is the first reported murder of a transgender murder in the United States in 2016. (Unfortunately not the first this year around the world as the DallasVoice headline would suggest, as many of our community have become murder victims already in places like Brazil and Argentina.)

With reported transgender murders around the world occurring in excess of 5 a week, it takes effort not to become numb to it. It takes a story a person can connect to. Monica’s picture and my friendship with the person who forwarded the story to me have turned numbness into an aching heart and a sick feeling inside.

To add insult to injury, members of the media used Monica’s birth first name and misgendered her. That stirred up ire in me to go with the other emotions.

The one bit of good news is that the alleged killer was quickly apprehended, and charged with first degree murder. But this happened nine days ago. Where is the outrage over the number of murders? Where is the outrage over this murder? Where is the outrage over the disrespectful reporting and/or the way information was disseminated by the Austin Police?

If you mirror read Monica’s tee shirt in her photo, it states “PAID IN FULL.” When Jesus hung on the cross, His last words (as recorded in John’s Gospel) were “It is finished.” When John wrote that phrase in Koine Greek, he used the word tetelestai. It was the same word that merchants of that day and place would write to indicate that their customer’s bill was “Paid in Full”.

Perhaps this is why I have been so haunted by Monica’s picture. As what may become her final statement to the world, that phrase asks the church, where are you? Why are so many of you consenting to my death? Why are so many of you persecuting me? Why are so many of you betraying me? Why are so many of you silent on my behalf, out of fear or disinterest? Why have so many of you forsaken me?

But to those in the church who have been faithful in this matter, I hear these words: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. – Matthew 25:35-40

At one time, I was the Section 8 Existing Housing Director for a small housing authority in the New York City suburbs. My duties included dealing with landlords and tenants in private housing where tenants were getting a portion of their rent subsidized.

One day, I received a frantic call from a tenant. I’ll call her Erica (real names will not be used in this post). Erica was renting an apartment from Vladimir. I had dealt with him regarding many apartments on the program. He constantly looked for an angle so that he could get the maximum allowable rent for the minimum acceptable accommodations. Erica had a one bedroom apartment that she shared with her infant daughter. When Vladimir proposed changing the kitchen into a second bedroom, and putting a kitchenette in the hallway, she was thrilled to no longer need to share a bedroom with her child, while Vladimir could collect a higher rent for a two bedroom apartment (and in this case, the apartment justified the higher amount).

It was a win-win for everyone … until Vladimir changed the plans. To save some plumbing costs, he moved the stove from the original renovation location to a spot in front of the only entrance to the apartment. Erica was horrified that if a fire occurred on the stove or in the oven, she and her daughter might be trapped. She tried to argue this with Vladimir, but to no avail. I agreed to meet Erica at her apartment, and had Vladimir meet us there.

Getting there first, I looked around and sized up the situation. When Vladimir arrived, Erica immediately jumped on him with the same arguments that failed before. Vladimir continued to turn a deaf ear to them.

Then, an inspiration hit me. I put two facts together that were totally unrelated to what Erica was arguing. I knew that the spot for the kitchen table had been moved to where the stove was going to be. And I was very aware of Vladimir being Russian.

Asking them to listen to me for a moment, I quietly but firmly said to Vladimir, “Would you eat right next to where you go to the bathroom?” His demeanor completely changed. He announced that they would go back to the original plans with the stove closest to the bathroom and the eating area closest to the front door.

Erica was dumbfounded. All her logical arguments about safety were ignored over and over again, and in 15 seconds, I turned the whole thing around with something she considered relatively trivial. I explained to her, it is more important to know what motivates people than what you or I might consider the best argument. The Lord helped me to see what motivated Vladimir, and I used it successfully.

Fast forward 30 years: I am now hearing the story of a problem with a landlord, but in this case, it is one of my trans-Christian friends trying to convince her landlord (who knew her long before her transition), that her condition is medical, not a character or spiritual defect.

My friend, Stephanie, is very attractive. She gets compliments on her appearance from strangers. Before her transition, she brought the Gospel to many people. She is a serious student of the Bible and can talk intelligently on most subjects of Christian theology. She has a sweet demeanor. But she has the problem of living in the middle of the Bible belt. Any church would love to have her as a member … that is until she tells one of them about her background. Then the odds are high that she will be asked to leave. Very few people, whether friends, family or business associates have stood by her.

Like Erica, Stephanie has tried to reason with her Christian landlords about the true nature of her condition. She presents all sorts of facts, figures, and evidence of the transsexuality being a medical condition from birth. My guess is that the landlords (husband and wife) are suspicious of anything on the topic that doesn’t come from a Christian source, but what they tell Stephanie is “God wouldn’t do that to someone.”

I don’t expect to ever meet these landlords. But you may have a similar situation. And maybe Stephanie can even use this post with her landlords. There is no point trying to butt heads over arguments that do not work. Instead, we are going to look primarily at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website as they detail a number of very serious birth conditions. A few other general information sources are used for supplemental information. Warning: some of the images depicting birth defects may be difficult for some people to view.

(Note: it is not my purpose to debate whether God causes these defects or allows Satan to cause them. Under either scenario, God uses them for His perfect purpose, and for His honor and glory.)

This post is about four times the length of my usual post. But it does not work well when divided. In the following descriptions of birth defects, there will be a lot of facts and figures related to each defect. You do might not need to read every single detail to get the gist of the post. I only ask that in these descriptions, you read the last line of each section that is set off with bold/italic type. I also ask that you read the description of the last two defects. Spina bifida relates to a situation that a close relative experienced in mild form. Limb reduction relates to examples I give at the conclusion of the post.

Anencephaly is a serious birth defect in which a baby is born without parts of the brain and skull. This often results in a baby being born without the front part of the brain (forebrain) and the thinking and coordinating part of the brain (cerebrum). The remaining parts of the brain are often not covered by bone or skin. Almost all babies born with anencephaly will die shortly after birth. CDC estimates that each year, about 1 in every 4,859 babies in the United States will be born with anencephaly (approximately 823 total per year at current birth rates).

Would God do this to a person or allow it to happen?

Anotia and Microtia are birth defects of a baby’s ear. Anotia happens when the external ear (the part of the ear that can be seen) is missing completely. Microtia happens when the external ear is small and not formed properly. Most of the time, anotia/microtia affects how the baby’s ear looks, but usually the parts of the ear inside the head (the inner ear) are not affected. However, some babies with this defect also will have a narrow or missing ear canal. Depending upon the severity, mild to significant hearing problems result.

Because the mildest cases may go unreported, estimates range from 400 to 2000 babies born in the U.S. with one of these related conditions each year. Would God do this to a person or allow it to happen?

Baby with cleft palate. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate (orofacial clefts) are birth defects that occur when a baby’s lip or mouth do not form properly during pregnancy. A baby can have a cleft lip, a cleft palate, or both a cleft lip and cleft palate. Children with a cleft lip with or without a cleft palate or a cleft palate alone often have problems with feeding and speaking clearly, and can have ear infections. They also might have hearing problems and problems with their teeth. Surgery to repair a cleft lip usually occurs in the first few months of life and is recommended within the first 12 months of life. Surgery to repair a cleft palate is recommended within the first 18 months of life or earlier if possible. Many children will need additional surgical procedures as they get older. Surgical repair can improve the look and appearance of a child’s face and might also improve breathing, hearing, and speech and language development.

Some children with orofacial clefts may have issues with self-esteem if they are concerned with visible differences between themselves and other children. While surgery in developed nations is generally successful in remedying these clefts, in many third world countries, children born with this condition are left with a life of a severely disfigured face and associated problems listed above. Before surgical skills were sufficiently advanced to treat the condition, every person born with orofacial clefts faced a life of ridicule and physical problems. But advances in medicine bring new dangers. In some countries, it is reported that late term evidence of these clefts during pregnancy is considered justification to perform an abortion.

CDC recently estimated that, each year in the United States, about 2,650 babies are born with a cleft palate and 4,440 babies are born with a cleft lip with or without a cleft palate. Would God do this to a person or allow it to happen?

– Atrial Septal Defect is a hole in the wall that divides the upper chambers of the heart. A hole can vary in size and may close on its own or may require surgery. The hole increases the amount of blood that flows through the lungs and over time, it may cause damage to the blood vessels in the lungs. Damage to the blood vessels in the lungs may cause problems in adulthood, such as high blood pressure in the lungs and heart failure. Other problems may include abnormal heartbeat, and increased risk of stroke. CDC recently estimated that each year about 1,966 babies in the United States are born with an atrial septal defect. It can also occur with other heart defects.

– Atrioventricular Septal Defect is the existence of holes between chambers of the heart, and the valves that control the flow of blood between these chambers may not be formed correctly. This means that blood flows where it normally should not be able to, and extra blood flows to the lungs. It exists in both complete and partial forms. Problems associated with the complete form include: breathing problems, pounding heart, weak pulse, ashen or bluish skin color, poor feeding and poor weight gain, tires easily, swollen legs or abdomen. Problems associated with the complete form include: arrhythmia, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure in the lungs. All AVSDs, both partial and complete types, usually require surgery. Infants who have surgical repairs for AVSD are not cured; they might have lifelong complications. The most common of these conditions is a leaky mitral valve, which can make the heart work harder to get enough blood to the rest of the body and might have to be surgically repaired. People with an AVSD will need regular follow-up visits with a cardiologist to monitor their progress, avoid complications, and check for other health conditions that might develop as they get older. CDC estimates that each year about 2,000 babies in the United States are born with AVSD.

– Coarctation of the Aorta is when a part of the aorta is narrower than usual. If the narrowing is severe enough and if it is not diagnosed, the baby may have serious problems and may need surgery or other procedures soon after birth. The narrowing blocks normal blood flow to the body, making the muscles in the left ventricle work harder to get blood out of the heart. This condition can lead to normal or high blood pressure and pulsing of blood in the head and arms and low blood pressure and weak pulses in the legs and lower body. If the condition is very severe, enough blood may not be able to get through to the lower body. The extra work on the heart can cause the walls of the heart to become thicker in order to pump harder. This eventually weakens the heart muscle. If the aorta is not widened, the heart may weaken enough that it leads to heart failure. Even after surgery, children with a coarctation of the aorta often have high blood pressure. It is estimated that about 1,600 babies in the United States are born with this condition each year.

– Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome is when the left side of the heart does not form correctly. It affects normal blood flow through the heart. The affected heart structures include: left ventricle is underdeveloped and too small; mitral valve is not formed or is very small; aortic valve is not formed or is very small; ascending portion of the aorta is underdeveloped or is too small. Often, babies with hypoplastic left heart syndrome also have an atrial septal defect (see above). Within a few days after birth, babies with hypoplastic left heart syndrome develop some or all of the following problems: breathing problems, pounding heart, weak pulse, ashen or bluish skin color. Soon after a baby with hypoplastic left heart syndrome is born, multiple surgeries done in a particular order are needed to increase blood flow to the body and bypass the poorly functioning left side of the heart. Infants who have these surgeries are not cured; they may have lifelong complications. If the hypoplastic left heart syndrome defect is very complex, or the heart becomes weak after the surgeries, a heart transplant may be needed. Some babies with this condition also require medication to strengthen the heart, lower blood pressure and get rid of excess fluid. Some babies require extra nutrition or even a feeding tube. CDC estimates that each year about 960 babies in the United States are born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

– Pulmonary atresia is a birth defect of the heart where the valve that controls blood flow from the heart to the lungs doesn’t form at all. In babies with this defect, blood has trouble flowing to the lungs to pick up oxygen for the body. No blood can go from the right ventricle of the heart out to the lungs. As a result, some or all of the following problems may occur: breathing problems, ashen or bluish skin color, poor feeding, extreme sleepiness. Most babies with pulmonary atresia will initially need medication to provide alternate means for blood to get to the lungs. Depending upon the severity of the particularly condition, various surgery technics are used to either repair the condition or provide alternate means of getting blood from the heart to the lungs. Many people with pulmonary atresia will develop other heart conditions as they get older, requiring further surgery or other forms of additional medical care. It is estimated that about 400 babies per year in the United States are born with pulmonary atresia.

– Tetralogy of Fallot is made up of the following four defects of the heart and its blood vessels: 1) A hole in the wall between the two lower chambers―or ventricles―of the heart [ventricular septal defect – see below]; 2) A narrowing of the pulmonary valve and main pulmonary artery [pulmonary stenosis]; 3) The aortic valve is enlarged and seems to open from both ventricles, rather than from the left ventricle only, as in a normal heart. In this defect, the aortic valve sits directly on top of the ventricular septal defect; 4) The muscular wall of the right ventricle is thicker than normal [ventricular hypertrophy]. This heart defect can cause oxygen in the blood that flows to the rest of the body to be reduced. Infants with tetralogy of Fallot or other conditions causing cyanosis can have problems including: a higher risk of getting an infection of the layers of the heart; a higher risk of arrhythmia; dizziness, fainting, or seizures; delayed growth and development. Tetralogy of Fallot can be treated by surgery soon after the baby is born. As adults, they may need more surgery or medical care for other possible problems. (CDC) estimates that each year about 1,660 babies in the United States are born with tetralogy of Fallot.

– Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return is where the veins bringing blood back from the lungs pulmonary veins) don’t connect to the left atrium like usual. Instead they go to the right side of the heart by way of an abnormal (anomalous) connection. This causes the baby to get less oxygen than is needed to the body. As in other congenital heart defects that reduce the body’s oxygen supply, TAPVR often has the following symptoms: breathing problems, pounding heart, weak pulse, ashen or bluish skin color, poor feeding, extreme sleepiness. Babies with TAPVR will need surgery to repair the defect. Infants whose defects are surgically repaired are not cured; they may have lifelong complications. There are also instances where the anomaly is partial and not total, and therefore less severe. There are no current statistics available for each one separately. Taken together, about 400 babies per year are born with this condition in the United States.

– Transposition of the Great Arteries is a birth defect of the heart in which the two main arteries carrying blood out of the heart – the main pulmonary artery and the aorta – are switched in position, or “transposed.” In transposition of the great arteries, the aorta is in front of the pulmonary artery and is either primarily to the right or to the left of the pulmonary artery. The left position is extremely rare, so only cases where the aorta is positioned to the right will be discussed here. As in many other congenital heart defects that reduce the body’s oxygen supply, TGA often has the following symptoms: breathing problems, pounding heart, weak pulse, ashen or bluish skin color, poor feeding. Surgery is required for all babies born with TGA. Other procedures may be done before surgery in order to maintain, enlarge or create openings that will allow oxygen-rich blood to get out to the body. There are two types of surgery to repair TGA. In the more common and more effective method, the arteries are switched to their usual positions—the pulmonary artery arising from the right ventricle and the aorta from the left ventricle. The coronary arteries (small arteries that provide blood to the heart muscle) also must be moved and reattached to the aorta. (The other, a simpler surgery, causes the right ventricle to work harder than normal and can lead to complications later in life.) After surgery, medications may be needed to help the heart pump better, control blood pressure, help get rid of extra fluid in the body, and slow down the heart if it is beating too fast. If the heart is beating too slowly, a pacemaker can be used. Infants who have these surgeries are not cured; they may have lifelong complications. CDC estimates that about 1,250 babies are born with TGA each year in the United States.

– Truncus Arteriosus is a relatively rare defect of the heart in which a single common blood vessel comes out of the heart, instead of the usual two vessels (the main pulmonary artery and aorta). There are several different types of truncus arteriosus, depending on how the arteries remain connected. There is also usually a hole between the bottom two chambers of the heart (see ventricular septal defect next). Instead of having both an aortic valve and a pulmonary valve, babies with truncus arteriosus have a single common valve (truncal valve) controlling blood flow out of the heart. The truncal valve is often abnormal. The valve can be thickened and narrowed, which can block the blood as it leaves the heart. It can also leak, causing blood that leaves the heart to leak back into the heart across the valve. Infants with truncus arteriosus usually are in distress in the first few days of life because of the high amount of blood going to the lungs which makes the heart work harder. Early surgery is required. If untreated, truncus arteriosus is usually fatal during the first year of life. Typical symptoms include: breathing problems, pounding heart, weak pulse, ashen or bluish skin color, poor feeding, extreme sleepiness. During the surgery, the hole between chambers is closed, an aorta is created out of the existing single blood vessel, and an artificial tube with an artificial valve is used to connect the right ventricle to the arteries going to the lungs. Some babies with truncus arteriosus also will need medicines to help strengthen the heart muscle, lower their blood pressure, and help their body get rid of extra fluid. Some babies with truncus arteriosus might become tired while feeding and might not eat enough to gain weight. Some babies become extremely tired while feeding and might need to be fed through a feeding tube. Most babies with truncus arteriosus survive the surgical repair, but may need more surgery or other procedures as they get older. For example, the artificial tube doesn’t grow, so it will need to be replaced as the child grows. There also may be blockages to blood flow which may need to be relieved, or problems with the original truncal valve. There are about 300 cases of truncus arteriosus per year in the United States.

– Ventricular Septal Defect is a birth defect of the heart in which there is a hole in the wall that separates the two lower chambers of the heart. An infant with a ventricular septal defect can have one or more holes in different places of the septum. The most common is when the hole occurs in the lower, muscular part of the wall. VSD causes extra blood to be pumped into the lungs, forcing the heart and lungs to work harder. Over time, if not repaired, this defect can increase the risk for other complications, including heart failure, high blood pressure in the lungs, arrhythmia, or stroke. If the hole is small, it usually will close on its own and the baby might not show any signs of the defect. However, if the hole is large, the baby might have symptoms, including: shortness of breath, fast or heavy breathing, sweating, tiredness while feeding, poor weight gain. Some children will need medicines to help strengthen the heart muscle, lower their blood pressure, and help the body get rid of extra fluid. Some babies become extremely tired while feeding and might need to be fed through a feeding tube. If the hole does not close on its own or if it is large, further actions might need to be taken. Depending on the size of the hole, symptoms, and general health of the child, the doctor might recommend either cardiac catherization or open-heart surgery to close the hole and restore normal blood flow. After surgery, the doctor will set up regular follow-up visits to make sure that the ventricular septal defect remains closed. Most children who have a ventricular septal defect that closes (either on its own or with surgery) live healthy lives. CDC estimates that about 16,800 babies are born with VSD.

Praise God that surgical skills have been developed in recent years to at least provide some relief from these various congenital heart defects. But in many cases, there is no cure and further complications are likely to occur down the road, a time bomb in one’s heart, if you will. In all cases, the baby goes through a great deal of suffering in its early months of life. And what of all the children born with these conditions before the surgical techniques were developed? Would God do any of these to a person or allow it to happen?

Craniosynostosis is a birth defect in which the bones in a baby’s skull join together too early. As the baby’s brain grows, the skull can become more misshapen. The spaces between a typical baby’s skull bones are filled with flexible material and called sutures. These sutures allow the skull to grow as the baby’s brain grows. In a baby with craniosynostosis, one or more of the sutures closes too early. This can limit or slow the growth of the baby’s brain.

When a suture closes and the skull bones join together too soon, the baby’s head will stop growing in only that part of the skull. In the other parts of the skull where the sutures have not joined together, the baby’s head will continue to grow. When that happens, the skull will have an abnormal shape, although the brain inside the skull has grown to its usual size. Sometimes, though, more than one suture closes too early. In these instances, the brain might not have enough room to grow to its usual size. This can lead to a build-up of pressure inside the skull. Sometimes, if the condition is not treated, the build-up of pressure in the baby’s skull can lead to problems, such as blindness, seizures, or brain damage.

In one study, CDC estimated that craniosynostosis affects about 4 in 10,000 live births. That translates to about 1600 babies born with this condition in the United States per year. Would God do this to a person or allow it to happen?

Down syndrome is a condition in which a person has an extra chromosome. Even though people with Down syndrome might act and look similar, each person has different abilities. People with Down syndrome usually have an IQ in the mildly-to-moderately low range and are slower to speak than other children.

Many people with Down syndrome have the common facial features and no other major birth defects. However, some people with Down syndrome might have one or more major birth defects or other medical problems. Some of the more common health problems among children with Down syndrome are listed below:

Hearing loss (up to 75% of people with Down syndrome may be affected)

Obstructive sleep apnea, which is a condition where the person’s breathing temporarily stops while asleep (between 50 -75%)

Hirschsprung disease (a condition where the nerves in the colon and sometimes elsewhere in the intestines fail to develop, leading to problems with bowel movements such as blockage and constipation.

Down syndrome remains the most common chromosomal condition diagnosed in the United States. Each year, about 6,000 babies born in the United States have Down syndrome. This means that Down syndrome occurs in about 1 out of every 700 babies. Would God do this to a person or allow it to happen?

Intellectual Disabilities: in addition to Down’s syndrome, there are many other causes of intellectual disabilities in a baby. The general definition is a person with an IQ lower than 70. Some of those causes could be attributed to the actions of man, such as a mother not taking care of her physical condition during pregnancy, famine or other dietary deficiencies in various parts of the world, or the baby not being delivered properly. Those causes have been omitted even though they are most certainly not the fault of the baby. However, it might be argued that they do not fit the pattern of being caused by God (although He still allows them to occur, regardless).

One of the most common causes is DiGeorge syndrome and related conditions where a small piece of chromosome 22 is deleted. In addition to a low IQ and learning disabilities, it often also causes congenital heart disease (40%), hyperthyroidism and associated hypocalcemia (low blood calcium levels) (50%), significant feeding problems (30%), and renal abnormalities (37%). There are also many other possible occurrences of physical problems of lower frequency. It is one of the possible causes for orofacial clefts. It is estimated to occur in 1000 to 2000 births in the United States each year.

Other genetic conditions: sometimes disability is caused by abnormal genes inherited from parents, errors when genes combine, or other reasons. Besides Down or DiGeorge syndromes, the most prevalent genetic conditions include Klinefelter’s syndrome, Fragile X syndrome (common among boys), Neurofibromatosis, congenital hypothyroidism, Williams syndrome, Phenylketonuria (PKU), and Prader-Willi syndrome. Other genetic conditions include Mowat-Wilson syndrome, genetic ciliopathy, and Siderius type X-linked intellectual disability (OMIM 300263) as caused by mutations in the PHF8 gene (OMIM 300560). In the rarest of cases, abnormalities with the X or Y chromosome may also cause disability. 48, XXXX and 49, XXXXX syndrome affect a small number of girls worldwide, while boys may be affected by 47, XYY, 49, XXXXY, or 49, XYYYY. (Note: Klinefelter’s and many of the other syndromes listed here are related to abnormalities in the sex chromosomes.)

Still another cause of low IQ is absence of the arcuate fasciculus. This is a portion of the brain that is normally significantly larger in humans than in other primates. While how this part of the brain works is still being researched, it has already been associated with language skills and short-term memory. Nine out of ten people with tone deafness have been found to lack a portion of this part of the brain’s right hemisphere.

Intellectual difficulties were previously known under the term “mental retardation”. This succession of terms is known as “euphemism treadmill”, indicating that each time a term has been applied, eventually it becomes commonly used in an insulting or pejorative fashion and a new term is invented. People with low IQ are not only faced with a lifetime of major limitations in the basic functions of human life, they also are subjected to scorn and ridicule by many people. Would God do this to a person or allow it to happen?

Encephalocele is described as a sac-like protrusion or projection of the brain and the membranes that cover it through an opening in the skull. It appears as an opening in the midline of the upper part of the skull, the area between the forehead and nose, or the back of the skull. When located in the back of the skull, encephalocele often is linked to nervous system problems. Encephalocele usually is seen with other brain and face defects. Other problems can include lack of coordination in using the voluntary muscles, developmental delay, vision problems, intellectual difficulties, retarded growth, and seizures.

Surgery, general performed in infancy, is the only known treatment, but is not successful in all cases, especially if a significant amount of brain tissue (rather than brain fluid) is in the sac. It is estimated that 375-400 babies are born with this condition each year. While it is relatively rare, would God do this to a person or allow it to happen?

Gastroschisis is a birth defect of the abdominal (belly) wall. The baby’s intestines stick outside of the baby’s body, through a hole beside the belly button. The hole can be small or large and sometimes other organs, such as the stomach and liver, can also stick outside of the baby’s body. Soon after the baby is born, surgery will be needed to place the abdominal organs inside the baby’s body and repair the abdominal wall. If the gastroschisis defect is large (many organs outside of the belly), the repair might done slowly, in stages. The exposed organs might be covered with a special material and slowly moved back into the belly. After all of the organs have been put back in the belly, the opening is closed.

Babies with gastroschisis often need other treatments as well, including receiving nutrients through an IV line, antibiotics to prevent infection, and careful attention to control their body temperature. Even after the repair, infants with gastroschisis can have problems with feeding, digestion of food, and absorption of nutrients.

CDC estimates that about 1,871 babies are born each year in the United States with gastroschisis. Would God do this to a person or allow it to happen?

Hypospadiasis a birth defect in boys in which the opening of the urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body) is not located at the tip of the penis. The type of hypospadias a boy has depends on the location of the opening of the urethra:

Subcoronal: The opening of the urethra is located somewhere near the head of the penis.

Midshaft: The opening of the urethra is located along the shaft of the penis.

Penoscrotal: The opening of the urethra is located where the penis and scrotum meet.

Boys with hypospadias can sometimes have a curved penis. They could have problems with abnormal spraying of urine and might have to sit to urinate. In some boys with hypospadias, the testicle has not fully descended into the scrotum. If hypospadias is not treated it can lead to problems later in life, such as difficulty performing sexual intercourse or difficulty urinating while standing. Most cases of hypospadias will need surgery to correct the defect.

Note: while hypospadias is not an Intersex condition, it is another situation where there is a birth defect affecting genitalila.

It is estimated that about 10,000 boys per year are born with hypospadias. Would God do this to a baby boy or allow it to happen?

Omphalocele is a birth defect of the abdominal wall. The infant’s intestines, liver, or other organs stick outside of the belly through the belly button. The organs are covered in a thin, nearly transparent sac that hardly ever is open or broken. This is similar to gastroschisis (see above), except with that defect, the organs protrude through a hole next to the belly button. The omphalocele can be small, with only some of the intestines outside of the belly, or it can be large, with many organs outside of the belly. Because some or all of the abdominal (belly) organs are outside of the body, babies born with an omphalocele can have other problems as well. The abdominal cavity, the space in the body that holds these organs, might not grow to its normal size. Also, infection is a concern, especially if the sac around the organs is broken. Sometimes, an organ might become pinched or twisted, and loss of blood flow might damage the organ.

If the omphalocele is small (only some of the intestine is outside of the belly), it usually is treated with surgery soon after birth to put the intestine back into the belly and close the opening. If the omphalocele is large (many organs outside of the belly), the repair might be done in stages. The exposed organs might be covered with a special material, and slowly, over time, the organs will be moved back into the belly. When all the organs have been put back in the belly, the opening is closed.

CDC estimates that each year about 775 babies in the United States are born with an omphalocele. Would God do this to a person or allow it to happen?

Spina bifida is a condition that affects the spine and is usually apparent at birth. It can happen anywhere along the spine. The backbone that protects the spinal cord does not form and close as it should. This often results in damage to the spinal cord and nerves. Spina bifida might cause physical and intellectual disabilities that range from mild to severe. The severity depends on: the size and location of the opening in the spine; whether part of the spinal cord and nerves are affected.

When people talk about spina bifida, most often they are referring to myelomeningocele, the most serious type of spina bifida. With this condition, a sac of fluid comes through an opening in the baby’s back. Part of the spinal cord and nerves are in this sac and are damaged. This type of spina bifida causes moderate to severe disabilities, such as problems affecting how the person goes to the bathroom, loss of feeling in the person’s legs or feet, and not being able to move the legs.

A less severe form of spina bifida occurs when only fluid is found in the sac, but none of the spinal cord or nerves are present in it. There is little or no nerve damage and relatively mild disabilities caused by this form.

The mildest type of spina bifida is a small gap in the spine, but no opening or sac on the back. The spinal cord and the nerves usually are normal. Many times, this type of spina bifida is not discovered until late childhood or adulthood, and usually does not cause any disabilities. This sounds similar to something my dad was discovered to have when he was in his late 50’s. According to his neurosurgeon, it is almost unheard of to have it dormant for that long, as most cases are discovered by the time a person is in their 30’s and more often in their 20’s. In my dad’s case, a congenital pinhole in the spinal cord was discovered in the neck area. The nerve damage started to paralyze his vocal cords, leading to a raspy voice. It also affected his hands, leading to loss of feeling, strength and motor control. To show the severity of it, one time he burnt his hand with a soldering iron and didn’t feel it. Coincidentally, my dad’s birth defect became problematic around the same age that mine did, although they were totally different. Like dad, like daughter!

Spina bifida can range from mild to severe. Some people have little or no noticeable disability. Others are limited in the way they can move or function. They even might be paralyzed (unable to walk or move parts of the body). Each year, about 1,500 babies are born with spina bifida. Would God do this to a person or allow it to happen?

Upper and Lower Limb Reduction Defects occur when a part of or the entire arm or leg of a baby fails to form completely during pregnancy. The defect is referred to as a “limb reduction” because a limb is reduced from its normal size or is missing.

Babies and children with limb reduction defects will face various issues and difficulties, but the extent of these will depend on the location and size of the reduction. Some potential difficulties and problems include: difficulties with normal development such as motor skills; needing assistance with daily activities such as self-care; limitations with certain movements, sports, or activities; potential emotional and social issues because of physical appearance.

The overall goal for treatment of limb reduction defects is to provide the child with a limb that has proper function and appearance. Treatment can vary for each child. Potential treatments include: artificial limbs, splints or braces, surgery, rehabilitation (physical or occupational therapy).

CDC estimates that each year about 1,500 babies in the United States are born with upper limb reductions and about 750 are born with lower limb reductions. Some of these babies will have both upper and lower limb reduction defects. Would God do this to a person or allow it to happen?

There are other debilitating birth defects that occur that are very rare. Not too long ago, there was a story in the news about a teenage girl who was not aging. This fountain of youth was no paradise. She still had all of the mental and physical attributes of an infant. Researchers are hoping to find something about her genetic code that may someday lend a clue on how to slow aging in the human population. But what about this girl? Would God do this to a person or allow it to happen?

*****

The point is, these severe birth defects do happen many times a year just in the United States alone. We haven’t added in the statistics of their occurrence in the rest of the world. In many third world countries, many of the babies born with the birth defects described here would not survive infancy. Either the level of medical care is not developed enough, the parents don’t have the resources to pay for the necessary treatments, or society would declare such a child and outcast and abandon care. The fate of children born with these birth defects ranges from mild to severe to horrific. And yet the facts are incontrovertible. They do happen. Either God causes them to happen or allows them to happen. As a Christian, I cannot accept the possibility that God’s sovereignty does not extend to such matters.

Nick Vujicic

Why would God allow such things to happen? We always have to start with the concept that all things happen for God’s glory. Perhaps you have heard the testimony of Nick Vujicic. It is a hard story to hear until you get to the praise report at the end. Nick was born without arms or legs due to a rare cause of limb reduction known as tetra-amelia syndrome. For most of his childhood, he struggled mentally, emotionally and physically with his condition. But eventually, he came to terms with his disability and has overcome the mental and emotional struggles. At 17, he started his own non-profit organization, Life Without Limbs. He gives motivational speeches around the world, focusing on life with a disability, while being able to find hope and meaning in life. Nick tells his audience that God can use any willing heart to do his work and that God is big enough to overcome any disability.

Nick has found a way to more than survive or even live with his disability. He thrives with it. And yet, he still allows room for God to work a miracle healing in his life, should the Lord choose to do so. He keeps a pair of shoes in his closet. If God chooses to work that miracle, it wouldn’t surprise me if those shoes are the right size!

Scroll back to the last category of birth defects, the one that Nick Vujicic suffers from, limb reduction. Note that one of the potential difficulties and problems that the sufferers from this birth defect (and many others that have a visible component) deal with is social problems. How often do we see people point and stare and whisper at people with birth defects – or worse, they are laughed at? Perhaps you have told your own children not to do such things.

Here is a second reason that God may cause or allow such birth defects to happen. They provide an opportunity for people to show compassion. And many parents have testified that their lives have been enriched by the presence of a special needs child in their lives, and it has enriched the lives of that child’s siblings as well. In fact, to the surprise of some, parents choose to bring these children into the world instead of aborting them, confident that God will bring a blessing into their lives with the presence of this child, whether he or she lives a few days or into adulthood. Hopefully, extended family, friends, neighbors and others in the community will learn some of the joys of showing compassion as well.

Out of compassion and in the name of Christ, many medical facilities have been built and many medical mission teams have reached out to the needy in remote parts of the world. Out of compassion, many doctors and nurses have spread the love of Christ by going above and beyond the call of duty to bring healing. In response to that selfless, loving witness of healing, many people, both patients and their loved ones have seen the light of Christ and come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

Scott Coren once described himself as a “militant atheist”. Then his daughter was born in 2012 with a birth defect of the heart. Scott’s daughter’s condition is severe enough that she will need further surgery, although a positive outcome is anticipated. Meanwhile, Scott must stay up with his daughter all night and she cannot be left alone for even a moment. She can go from doing well to being in critical condition within 30 minutes.

Rather than blaming God for his daughter’s condition, it brought him close to the God whom he previously denied. It was the beginning of his becoming a Christian. One factor was that he saw the nurses caring for his daughter and other severely ill children as “human angels”. In addition, the reason and logic that led him to atheism no longer made sense. In a world where some children are born and survive for only a short time, the only thing that makes sense is that there has to be something beyond this earthly existence. Scott has written a novel the parallels his journey to Christ through this difficult period.

Are we beginning to see some of the reasons why God would cause or allow birth defects to happen, just as He allows trials to come into every life at one time or another? Indeed, we have just scratched the surface.

Think once more of that long list of birth defects that affect that brain, the hearing, the heart, the spine, the organs of the belly and the limbs. Compare those severe and sometimes fatal conditions to those born with intersex or transsexual conditions. (See the links page for more information on being born with intersex conditions.) Are not these birth conditions that affect the sexual characteristics of a person far less severe, far less health threatening? If God would cause or allow the types of birth defects featured in this post, is it so hard to imagine Him to cause or allow someone to be born with ambiguous genitalia? Is it so hard to imagine Him to cause or allow someone to be born with the brain of one gender and the body of another?

I remind you once more that one of the problems faced by those who suffer from the birth defects discussed here is the need to deal with social problems. For those of us who are born transsexual, that is pretty much the only problem. Yes, we may need to take some medications and undergo some surgeries. And the longer it takes to be treated the more difficult it can be to treat. But by and large, the number one problem we face is social. We not only wonder how we will be treated and accepted, we hear about the horror stories of violence experienced by other transsexuals. Are there any of us who do not have stories of being ridiculed in public, or hassled by authorities, or being rejected by family, friends, employers, churches and so on, or even being victims of violence ourselves? Only those who are deep in the closet and haven’t come out in any real measure have escaped social problems.

Instead of rejection, we seek acceptance. Instead of ridicule, we seek respect. Instead of harassment, we seek peace. Instead of violence directed at us, we seek compassion. In other words, we seek what every member of the human race seeks. So why wouldn’t God do this to us or why wouldn’t He allow it to be done to us? After all, it isn’t all that difficult to deal with from a physical standpoint. By far, the worst problem is dealing with those who hate us.

After losing my Internet for a couple of days because of lightning and then celebrating the 4th of July weekend, I’m back with another update on the World Cup.

Despite a record setting number of saves by Team USA goalkeeper Tim Howard, USA lost to Belgium, 2-1. The score was 0-0 at the end of regulation time, but while USA had some near misses, the Belgian squad clearly had the better of the play throughout the game. It was a combination of Howard making some great saves and Belgian failing to do anything with their numerous corner kick opportunities that kept USA hopes alive until overtime.

Of their four games, this was Team USA’s worst performance overall. Between Howard and their defenders, the team displayed some staunch defense. And when they were able to mount an attack, they showed some good skills. But their midfield play was horrendous. Too often their passes were sloppy, either off target completely or enough to slow down the attack. As a result, Belgium was able to make some dangerous counters and eventually wear down the USA defenders. To make it worse, Team USA had difficulty getting back possession in midfield.

The performance and athleticism of two young players during the tournament, DeAndre Yedlin (age 21) and Julian Green (age 19) give the growing legion of USA soccer fans hope for a better showing in 2018 for the next World Cup. Yedlin has tremendous speed that makes him an offensive threat and enables him to outrun occasional mistakes, had very good ball sense when inside the 18 yard line on offense, and generally showed tremendous poise and confidence for someone so young, even when he played an relatively unfamiliar midfield position against Belgium. While Green only saw a few minutes of action at the end of the Belgium match, he scored the first time he touched the ball and also showed tremendous poise and good skill in a pressure situation. His goal gave Team USA one last glimmer of hope that they could forge a tie and force the game into a penalty kick shootout. A more favorable bounce here or there and the American squad might have stolen one.

Another 21 year old, John Brooks, also showed considerable poise with his clutch goal late in the match that was the winner against Ghana. At this time, however, he is not as highly regarded as Yedlin and Green.

Of course while the young players gain valuable experience, the veterans will age. Tim Howard is already the oldest regular on the US squad at 35, and while there have been top international goalkeepers around age 40, it is rare. Can Howard maintain the athleticism that puts him among the top keepers in the world? Team USA does have a talented number two in Brad Guzan who will still be in his prime in 2018, but very few people can compare to Howard, and if the Americans do not shore up their squad elsewhere, they will need the very best in the nets to compete.

Others who saw action in this World Cup and will be 35 or older in four years: starters Clint Dempsey, Demarcus Beasley, Jermaine Jones and Kyle Beckerman; key substitutes Chris Wondolowski and Brad Davis. Perhaps some of them will still be able to play a key role in Russia in 2018. But the United States will need to continue to develop more international quality players to reach the next level on the world stage, the level where they are a contender to win it all.

Although we saw a number of upsets in Group play, the cream has been rising to the top. We saw no upsets in the Round of 16 where all the Group winners advanced. And the favorites have all advanced from the Quarterfinals to the Semifinals, with familiar soccer powers facing off against each other: Brazil versus Germany and Argentina versus Netherlands.

The best chance for an upset was probably for Colombia over a Brazil squad that might have been eliminated by now if not for the advantage of playing on home soil. They managed to come out on top in a very chippy, foul filled game. But they will be without two key players against Germany. Their offensive star, Neymar, suffered a broken vertebra from a knee to his back in the last few minutes of the game, with subsequent controversy as to whether or not the Colombian player deliberately injured him. (FIFA has decided that no disciplinary action should be taken against the Colombian player, Juan Zuniga.) Neymar will be out of the remainder of the tournament. He had notched four goals and one assist, accounting for half of Brazil’s goals in the finals. And Brazil will also lose their captain, Thiago Silva, because he received his second yellow card of the tournament late in the Colombia match. Silva got his side off to a fast start with an early goal against Colombia.

So it could be an uphill battle for Brazil against Germany, even with the home crowd supporting them. That match is being played tomorrow (Tuesday, July 8).

Wednesday’s semifinal match will feature two of the stingiest teams in the World Cup: Netherlands and Argentina. Netherlands has allowed only four goals in five games while Argentina has allowed three in the same span. Neither team has lost or tied so far, although Netherlands had to resort to winning a shootout over upstart Costa Rica in the Quarterfinals. The Dutch squad has not been able to duplicate their dominance seen in their opening match against defending champion, Spain. And there is some evidence that they are wilting in the heat of the venues where they have played. Their semifinal will take place in the cooler clime of Sao Paolo, but I still give the edge to Argentina.

So, I will go out a bit on a limb and predict a Germany-Argentina final. It is pretty much a toss-up, but I will give the edge to Germany. However, when you have as talented player like Lionel Messi, his individual efforts can make the difference. So I am predicting but not betting (even if I did gamble, which I do not).

Switching over to baseball, the Dodgers have managed to make up a tremendous amount of ground in a short time and are now holding a slim lead in the NL West over the Giants. It was a combination of the Dodgers starting to play better fundamental baseball plus excellent starting pitching, while the Giants went into a terrible slump. Decades ago, the Giants were known as a team that started well and then had a June swoon. They returned to that pattern this year.

When the Dodgers had a similar turnaround in the standings last year, they did it with the help of long winning streaks and a record tying 42-8 stretch. This year, the Dodgers have yet to win more than three in a row. But during their recent rise to the top, it has also been rare for them to lose back to back games.

There is nearly half the baseball regular season remaining and contending teams are beginning to upgrade their rosters with players acquired from teams that see little chance of winning this year. So it is way too soon to know who will make the playoffs. I have seen and read enough about baseball to know that it is way too soon to claim that the Dodgers will win their division, let alone anything beyond that.

In my next post, which should be in the next day or two, I will discuss someone who has come to my attention in the past week. Interesting claims are being made about this person. Please check back soon!

… we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. – Romans 5:3-5

Back in November, one of my clients asked for help with his Obamacare application. Like me, he is both a New York resident and has self-employment income. It would be a good learning experience for me, as I would be putting in my own application soon. I found the New York health exchange easy to use, living up to the early reviews that it was far superior to the severely flawed Federal website. It was very responsive each time we clicked on a link and soon we had a completed application except for the choice of plan.

A few weeks later in early December, I confidently ventured onto the same site for my own application. Once again, entering personal data was quick and easy. Then it came time to answer the income question: did I expect my 2014 income to be the same as in 2012? And here was where the nightmare began.

When my client reached this question, he answered “yes”. Apparently this government agency has access to your 2012 income tax return, but hey, no privacy concern there, right? Anyway, that answer bypassed a number of additional steps and questions, as I was to find out.

My answer to this question was “no”. While I did have a net loss of clients in 2013 (some related to my transition and some not) and some associated loss of income, the major reason for a decrease in income was that I had a project in 2011 for which I was able to charge about twenty times my usual average fee. Three-quarters of my fee had been paid in 2012. It is highly unlikely that this type of work will come my way again.

To be expected, I was taken to pages on the site to provide my estimated 2014 income. Unexpectedly, this was where things started to fall apart.

First of all, it did not want to take my income as a self-employed individual. I found I was only able to enter it if I said that I was an employee of my own company. A further complication came because it was insisting that I provide data for my last three months of income and expenses. As a tax preparer, providing my income and expenses for September-November would have vastly understated my net income. There seemed to be no understanding that some people have seasonal businesses.

But the biggest problem of all was that the site kept timing out on me and returning me to an earlier screen. I type rapidly and had all the information at my fingertips. There was no significant delay in my data entry that should have caused this error.

Admitting defeat, I reluctantly called their help line number. Soon, I was speaking to a capable agent who was more than willing to enter the information that I gave her. In minutes, I felt vindicated. She was getting the same time out problems. Soon, we reached a point (about our fourth or fifth try), where she said that we would try it one more time and if it didn’t work she was going to call tech support.

For some reason, this time it worked. It was like the Dilbert cartoon where the pointy-haired boss is telling Dilbert that he keeps clicking on a link and it doesn’t work. Just as Dilbert starts to quote the line that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result, the boss clicks again and it works.

So now all the income and expense data is entered. At this point, she tells me that we cannot proceed any further as they want verification of the financial information I just provided. Thinking quickly, I ask her what will be acceptable as verification. I know this might be a problem as my business income comes in the form of about 80 checks a year from almost the same number of individuals. None of them are required to issue me a 1099. And there is little reason for me to incur the cost of a separate business bank account, so I don’t have one.

She replies that this is outside of her area, but that in about 7-10 business days, I should receive an e-mail providing this information. Unfortunately, I received no such e-mail and that time frame took me to December 23, the original deadline by which you had to have completed your application to be covered by January 1 (which they magnanimously extended one day). There was no way I was getting through on the phone then.

So I called back between Christmas and New Year’s Day. This time, I got an all too familiar government bureaucrat bozo. When I asked what I could use as verification of my income and expenses, he replied to my amazement, “We don’t tell you what to send.”

Keep in mind that I worked for HUD for three years, a local housing authority for four years, and then was a stock broker for over twenty years which meant that my activities ultimately came under regulation by the Securities and Exchange Commission of the Federal Government (and I had to know those regulations to pass my licensing exam). And for the past twenty-five years, I have dealt with the IRS, the NY State Department of Taxation and Finance, and New York’s counterparts in a few other states in my work as a paid tax preparer. Finally, as part of my transition, I needed to know Social Security Administration and NY Department of Motor Vehicles verification requirements. Never has there been a time when there were not clear regulations on what could be used as verification of statements made on an application.

Even so, I had no basis on which to argue with this agent. So I am trying to figure out what I can use as verification. Making a spreadsheet of my income and expenses would have been easy. But I dismissed it as self-serving. Anyone could type numbers and descriptions into Excel without a shred of truth in it.

What followed was Kafkaesque with a touch of Seinfeld plot line. The results were as poor as could be expected under such circumstances.

There was only one way that came to mind as to how I could verify my income in 2013 as being less than in 2012: bank statements. My bank statements for each year would show that the deposits in 2013 were less than in 2012 (by the differential I had stated in my application). I was able to download monthly bank statements online from my bank account in a format that was acceptable for uploading to my Obamacare application.

However, there were three problems with this method. The first was the amount of documents I would need to send. My bank’s website did not provide a filter so I could retrieve only the deposits. So I had to upload the entire bank statement. Twenty-four months’ worth of bank statements at three pages each would mean a lot of pages for some bureaucrat to review.

The second problem was directly related to my transition. Knowing who I might be dealing with, I wanted to make it as foolproof as possible. The name on the account in 2012 did not match the name in 2013. I could not count on the reviewer noting that the account number did not change. So I uploaded a cover letter with an explanation and also uploaded my name change documents. Now some reviewer has an awful lot of information about me. I could just see him or her calling over another reviewer: “Get a load of this person’s application!”

Finally, there is the fact that deposits show income but not expenses. And while 99% of my deposits are business-related, many of the expenses are for personal items. I explained that the expenses are independent of income and are basically the same from year to year. Since the expenses are approximately the same in 2013 as in 2012 (which information they already had), the deposit differential is essentially the same as my decrease in net income.

I was able to upload all this in the first week of January. And then I waited, and waited and waited some more for the great State of New York to reply.

Knowing I would be getting much busier over the next two and a half months, I called back at the end of January. I figured that four weeks was enough time to expect my information to have been reviewed. This time, the person on the other end of the phone was very competent in her job.

She noted the large number of documents that I had uploaded and said it would take a few minutes before they would all be available. While we waited, I was able to ask her a few questions about Medicaid and how it worked. Finally, she told me that she was able to see on her screen that they were in the process of reviewing my documents, which means they should be finished soon.

And soon they were: the documentation I supplied was not considered sufficient proof of my self-employment income. When I received a hard copy of this notice, it came with a document that set forth all the acceptable means of verifying any statement you might make on your application: the very information I was unable to receive a month earlier. They wanted more hard proof, not just my statement that expenses were unchanged.

So I did something that I hadn’t done for at least 30 years (since becoming self-employed made my tax return more complicated), if ever. I was preparing my own tax return at the beginning of February instead of working on my clients’ returns. And as soon as I learned that my e-filed return had been accepted by the IRS, on February 11, I submitted my entire, five page, 2013 Federal Income Tax return as my most up to date proof of my income and expenses. And I sent a copy of the proof that my e-filed return had been accepted).

I went back to the waiting game. Around March 18, I called. It was another trip to Bozoland. First, he told me that they hadn’t even started reviewing my latest submission. Okay, there’s nothing he could do about that. But then he made the most ridiculous statement. I mentioned the irony that I would have qualified for Medicaid using the income on my 2012 return. (I was told this by the competent agent on my previous call.) His response? He actually told me that you don’t apply for Medicaid through the website that I was calling about! Since the client I had helped months earlier had his Medicaid benefit card by now, I knew this was patently absurd.

By the time April 15 came and went, I still had not heard anything. As it turned out, my health care nightmare was only beginning.

Praise God that for those of us who are in Christ, we are only sojourners here and we have a better country to look forward to.

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. – Revelation 22:1-2

Tax Season is beginning to take up more and more of my time. Some problems dealing with New York State over my Obamacare application is adding to the demands on my time. So my blog posts will continue to be less frequent and shorter. I also will be using some outside sources and things that I wrote during my transition journey instead of fresh material. Hopefully, it will still be of growing interest to my current and new readers. And now, here’s today’s blog post.

There are times when I have concerns about the future of the United States. There are also times when I am very proud of my country and the ideals for which it stands and upon which it was founded. Yesterday was one of those days for patriotic pride.

It started when I met with a Christian friend to discuss her income tax situation. She will be a new client this year. She also does not know about my past or this blog, so I will not give her name.

After the meeting, we went out to lunch at a nearby Friendly’s restaurant. We arrived during the gap between the lunch and dinner hours, so we were able to talk with our waiter a bit more than we could if it was at a busier time.

My friend was born in Iran. She came here at age four, but her English is still somewhat accented. Perhaps this was why she did not comment on our waiter’s accent. Or perhaps I merely asked first. I definitely detected a Middle Eastern accent. His real first name was on his name tag, but to protect his privacy, I will call him “Salaam”.

Did he mind if I asked him where he was from? He cheerfully replied, Syria. He was a friendly, engaging young man. And in between his need to come and go to take care of our order and other customers, an interesting story unfolded.

This man was not your ordinary waiter. In Syria, he was a dentist. This in itself was intriguing. How does a Syrian dentist end up as a waiter in the New York City suburbs?

He began by asking us if we were familiar with what is going on in Syria as far as the fighting. My friend and I nodded yes. He replied that you can get killed there. People are being shot. The implication was that it is happening with great frequency there, far more than in the United States.

I thought that perhaps he had been part of the Syrian Christian minority and that was what put his life in danger. My friend may have had the same thought because at this point, she asked him what religion he followed. He replied, “Muslim.”

He went on to explain that Muslims are killing Muslims in Syria. It is the government versus the rebels, moderates versus extremists, Shiites versus Sunnis. People trying to live their daily lives are caught in between: homes and businesses destroyed; many have lost their lives.

Salaam told us that he walked away from the dental clinic he established and all his equipment. He has since learned that it has all been destroyed. He didn’t say which side did it. It really doesn’t matter at this point.

My friend asked him if he brought family with him. He shook his head. He came alone. Apparently he knew another Syrian dentist who had preceded him coming to the United States.

My friend was surprised that he would come here not really knowing anyone. Her family came here while the Shah was still firmly in power. She was not one whose family fled when the Shah was deposed or some in response to some other crackdown on Christians.

I, on the other hand, remember three of my Hungarian cousins coming here in 1957. I was four years old at the time, but I remember picking up one of them at Camp Kilmer, and the other two showing up at our house in Queens. It is a vivid memory for me, even though I was only four years old at the time. After the unsuccessful attempt in Hungary to get rid of the yoke of oppressive Soviet Communism, my cousins managed to become part of the roughly 200,000 Hungarians able to escape. They arrived with little more than the clothes on their back and a smile, knowing almost no English. (My mother’s parents came from Hungary at the turn of the century and she was able to communicate with them in Hungarian.) Learning English, they worked hard and became part of the American middle class. So I understood the desperation that would cause Salaam to leave his homeland.

My friend questioned him further. She wanted to know if he left behind family in Syria. “No,” he replied, adding that they emigrated to Turkey. Why didn’t he go to Turkey as well, my friend wanted to know.

His answer was enlightening. He shared that throughout the Middle East and that part of the Muslim world, many of the countries are facing serious problems. He cited Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Palestine (Jordan), Syria, Lebanon, Iran and Iraq as examples. And he added that Turkey was in a similar situation. When I asked if he meant that these countries were unstable, he agreed. The potential was too high that the destructive events that happened to him in Syria might repeat themselves in Turkey.

He elaborated. In Syria, you never know when someone might approach you on the street and demand to know your background. Being a Muslim does not protect, as the battles are between various Muslim factions. Giving the wrong answer can be hazardous to one’s freedom and even one’s life.

In the United States, in contrast, he explained that no one ever demands to know what he believes. He has freedom to live his life pretty much as he pleases. He mentioned that here he has become friends with those who are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, and atheists. I replied that was also an accurate description of my list of clients.

He mentioned that it would take some time, but he was working on getting licensed as a dentist in this country. I told him that he had taken an important first step in learning the English language as well as he had. He was a bit surprised, but pleased at the compliment.

We finished our meal, paid our bill, and gave Salaam a generous tip in recognition of the great service he provided us. I can see this bright, personable young man going far. Wherever he ends up, he will make a good neighbor and friend to many. My pride in my country stems from the hope and second chance that the United States has provided this worthy person.

So what does this have to do with the title of my post? This is roundabout, even for me!

After I returned home, I meditated on the life of this young man and our conversation with him in the restaurant. As I did so, I sensed a grieving of the Spirit. If the body of Christ was truly united, what a testimony it would be to the many people like Salaam whose lives are torn apart by division, including warring within their own religion. In other places it might be tribal factions or class warfare.

How much more attractive would the Gospel be to the world if they saw a Christian body marked by love and unity? What a real alternative it would present. What a solace and refuge it would provide. Best of all, it is what Christ preached and prayed for us to be: brothers and sisters united in love for one another. Concentrating on what we have in common rather than where we differ.

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. – 1st John 4:20-21

We sing that they’ll know we are Christians by our love. Do we live it?

Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another. – John 15:8-17

As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. – John 17:18-21

“That the world may believe” … isn’t that what we Christians should want more than anything else in the world? It is so simple the way Jesus spells it out for us. But history has shown that it isn’t easy.

Nevertheless, let’s summarize it in simple language. The world will believe in the Father and in His Son, Jesus Christ, if they see our unity. We will achieve unity if we love one another within the body of Christ.

That’s the game plan from our Salvation Captain. Let’s practice it so we can execute it, even under difficult circumstances. If you watched the Super Bowl, you witnessed that the team able to do a better job of executing their game plan won the prize.

This topic is very different than my previous posts. But sports is also a part of my life. In fact it was a very big part when I was in childhood, continuing until I became self-employed and had to devote much more time to my career.

I can think of two major reasons why I like sports. First, my brother was a big sports fan. While my mother was my primary role model, my brother was next in line. One of my goals from the time I was about four years old was to be an adult. Because my brother was five years older than me, emulating him was an acceptable way to move closer to that goal.

Second, I remember my career counselor of many years ago teaching that we tend to like what we are good at. One of his slogans was, “Like it, you’ll try it.”

I was good in sports. The only things that hindered me as I grew older: lack of size and lack of upper body strength. Otherwise, I was ahead of my peers in team sports and some other activities like the long jump or sprinting. I still have excellent reflexes (I became a competent high school level goalie in ice hockey), could throw a baseball or football for distance and accuracy (but not speed), and was a shifty runner (fine pass receiver, kick returner or defensive back in touch football).

At some point, I adopted interests not shared with my brother. In sports, that would be soccer. My primary focus is on the men’s World Cup, played every four years to determine the world champion of the sport.

In 2014, the World Cup is being hosted by Brazil, the country that has won the most World Cups. Currently, FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association, the sport’s global governing body) only has the Brazil squad ranked tenth in the world, but we shall see how that holds up when they play all their matches in front of their fans.

Of course, I am rooting for my home country. The United States qualified for this year’s World Cup fairly easily. FIFA currently has them ranked 14th in the world. But in the random drawing for the different groups, things could not have turned out worse. Groups with three quality teams have been nicknamed “group of death”, since one quality team must be eliminated in the first round. The United States ended up in Group G with Germany (seeded – ranked #2, Portugal – ranked #5 but somehow unseeded and Ghana ranked #24).

Furthermore, the USA team ended up with a horrible travel schedule for its games. The games, which will begin on June 12 and end on July 13, will be played just before and during the winter season in the southernmost cities of Brazil. The temperatures in the south of Brazil should be moderate. Porto Alegre, the venue furthest south, enjoys average highs in the mid-upper 60’s and average lows in the lower 50’s at this time of year.

However, the USA team will be playing their games in three of the four northernmost cities, near the Equator where the change of seasons matters little. Two of their games are on the coast. But their middle game, against Portugal, will be played in Manaus, a city of two million people deep in the interior of Brazil. The average temperatures are fairly constant throughout the year: average highs range from the upper 80’s to lower 70’s. The average humidity is over 80%. It is the city all the teams wanted to avoid. By having their middle game there, USA will have one of the longest travel schedules.

Each opponent provides an interesting matchup for the USA squad. Their opening game is against Ghana. Four years ago, the USA was eliminated by Ghana with a goal in the final seconds of their second round game. And in 2006 USA and Ghana were also in the same group, with Ghana’s victory (despite some controversy over the officiating) eliminating the USA squad. Hopefully, with less on the line in an opening match, the USA team will prevail as their higher ranking would indicate, but it remains to be seen.

Game two is the aforementioned sweatbox game against Portugal. The recent history for this matchup has been better for USA. In 2002, USA defeated Portugal in the opening game of their group. USA eventually advanced while Portugal was eliminated. But remember that Portugal is the mother country to Brazil. There are close language, cultural, historical and ancestral ties between the two countries. It is likely that Portugal will be a clear fan favorite in any matchup unless they eventually play Brazil.

The final game of the first round is against Germany. Although USA defeated Germany in a “friendly” match (i.e., international exhibition) played this past June in Washington, DC, Germany is ranked as the superior team and should be favored in a key match played at a neutral site. However, the USA team manager in the upcoming World Cup is Jurgen Klinsmann, former star player for the German side in the 1980’s and 90’s (West Germany before the country was reunited). He also coached a young German team to a third place finish in the 2006 World Cup that was played on home soil.

The current German coach, Joachim Low, was Klinsmann’s assistant coach in 2006. The two coaches will be very familiar with each other’s style and tactics. One also needs to keep in mind that in the final game of the first round, team strategy is also dictated by where they are in the standings, whether they need a win or a draw to advance, or if they have already clinched a spot in the next round.

A quick look at the other groups:

Group A (Brazil, Croatia, Mexico and Cameroon): Brazil should advance easily. Croatia and Mexico are fairly evenly matched. Croatia has the edge on offense but Mexico might be better able to handle the climate conditions with most of the matches closer to the Equator.

Group B (Spain, Netherlands, Chile and Australia): Spain and Netherlands faced each other in the 2010 World Cup Final, yet one of them might fail to advance as Chile has been coming on strong in recent games.

Group C (Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast and Japan): Despite missing the last three World Cups, Colombia is ranked number 4 and is the seeded team. Greece puts all their emphasis on defense. Ivory Coast barely missed moving to the second round in 2010. While Japan is the lowest ranked in this group, they advanced in 2010 and can give any team trouble. This is a group where upsets are likely.

Group D (Uruguay, Italy, England and Costa Rica): Uruguay, Brazil’s neighbor to the south, plays a key match against England in nearby Sao Paolo. Italy is looking to atone for finishing at the bottom of a group they should have won four years ago, while England has been uninspiring of late. Because of these three teams, this has been labeled the other group of death.

Group E (Switzerland, France, Ecuador and Honduras): This is one of the weaker groups. Switzerland is a good squad but the least regarded of the seeded teams. France, another disappointing team four years ago, barely advanced in the qualifiers. Ecuador and Honduras have had little success in past World Cup play.

Group F (Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Nigeria, Iran): Argentina figures to breeze through to the next round. Bosnia-Herzegovina is the only newcomer this year, but that is due in part to their short history as an independent country. Nigeria has a young team that is capable of producing an upset in this round.

Group H (Belgium, Russia, Algeria, South Korea): Belgium, qualifying for the first time since 2002, looked good in the qualifiers. Russia also played above their ranking in the qualifiers, beating Portugal and Sweden. These two teams should advance. Algeria has not played outside of Africa in 2013 and may be overrated at #26 (only four places behind Russia). They finished at the bottom of their group in 2010 and could do so again. South Korea built up a big lead early in their qualifiers and stumbled home the rest of the way, barely advancing on a tiebreaker.

At some point in the future, I expect to post about the only team I still avidly root for, explaining why I still bleed Dodger blue. But I will get back on topic in my next post, looking at my own life as an example of the difference between wanting something and knowing something to be true.